Tara Maharana Sarup Singh hunting at Haridas ki Magri 1844-45

Maharana Sarup Singh ruled the Rajput kingdom of Mewar, centred on Udaipur, between 1842 and 1861. Courtly activities were recorded by artists including Tara and his son Sivalal, who faithfully documented hunting scenes, religious festivals and political meetings, complete with accurately recorded details of landscape, architecture, courtiers and their costumes. This painting shows a scene in the hills near Lake Picchola, in which the Maharana, identified by his halo, and his companions shoot boar from a hunting pavilion. The boars have been flushed from the surrounding forest by beaters, and in Tara’s characteristic style details of flora and fauna are meticulously rendered in a clear, crystalline form.